Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a condition that affects your bones. When bone density and mass decrease, they become more fragile. This means your bones are more likely to break with a fall or even a minor bump. Osteopenia is a related condition that also occurs when bone density is reduced, but is not severe enough to be osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is more common with age and affects many more women than men. It’s estimated that over 1 million Australians have osteoporosis, and a significant portion of the population over 50 is affected by either osteoporosis or osteopenia.
Hormones such as oestrogen play a role in maintaining bone strength. The significant drop in oestrogen during perimenopause and after menopause can be one of the causes of osteoporosis. On average, women lose up to 10% of their bone mass in the first five years after menopause.
Osteoporosis and osteopenia are sometimes called a ‘silent disease’, causing no symptoms until a fracture occurs. Left untreated, the risk of a fracture increases. But there are things you can do. Treatment for osteoporosis and osteopenia includes regular bone density monitoring (dexa scan), a healthy lifestyle, taking calcium and Vitamin D, sometimes medication and exercising. However, it is normal to feel a little confused and unsure about which exercises are safe and effective.
Our postgraduate pelvic health physiotherapists can help.
Rest assured, you're not alone – and the good news is that excellent support is available. Our experienced postgraduate-qualified pelvic health physiotherapists know all about osteoporosis, and we’re here to help. So at Pelvic Health Matters, you’ll find the expert care and genuine support you need to get you exercising effectively for bone health.
Osteoporosis is sometimes called a ‘silent disease’, causing no symptoms until a fracture occurs. Our postgraduate-qualified pelvic health physiotherapists can help you prevent or manage osteoporosis with the right exercise program.
Common signs & symptoms of osteoporosis
Quite often, osteoporosis is ‘silent’ with no symptoms. But you may have experienced some of the following:
- A fracture, especially in the hip, spine or wrist
- Stooped posture
- Loss of height
- Back pain
- Weak grip strength
Risk factors & causes of osteoporosis
- Menopause and hormone changes, such as reduced oestrogen
- Thyroid problems
- Ageing
- Genetics
- Lifestyle, smoking, excessive alcohol and inadequate dietary calcium and vitamin D
- Medical conditions, certain endocrine disorders, gastrointestinal diseases and autoimmune disorders
- Medications such as corticosteroids
- Sedentary lifestyle
Our Proven Pathway for Supporting Osteoporosis
Discover what matters
You’re assessed as a whole person
To begin, we take the time to understand all of you – not just what’s going on physically. So, your postgraduate qualified pelvic health physiotherapist will collect the following information:
- QUESTIONNAIRE: You’ll complete a pelvic health questionnaire online before your first visit. This helps us understand your history, current health concerns and what matters to you.
- 1-on-1 CONSULTATION: Here, we’ll take the time to learn about you, your bone health and exercise habits. We believe a holistic approach enables us to understand how your specific physical, emotional and lifestyle factors influence your pelvic health.
- THOROUGH ASSESSMENT: This includes a pelvic floor examination and an assessment of your spinal, pelvic and hip joints, muscles and balance and questionnaires to understand your thoughts, feelings and environment.
- CONNECTING THE DOTS: Now that we’ve discovered so much about you and your osteoporosis, we can explore how it all fits together. This might include understanding the right type of exercise for bone health and how that may impact your existing pelvic floor and gluteal weakness or even your bladder issues.
- SET GOALS: We’ll help you set meaningful pelvic health goals, such as:
- How to exercise effectively for my bones
- Exercise without any bladder control problems
- Improve my pelvic floor strength so I can lift weights
- Do everything I can to prevent a fracture
Restore what matters
You’ll have a personalised pelvic health plan.
This is where we get to work. Together, we’ll choose the best research-proven treatment options for your lifestyle. You’ll learn about the different types of exercise for bone health, like weight bearing, resistance and balance – and which exercises to avoid.
Next, we’ll design the most appropriate and safe exercise program taking into consideration your general health, pelvic health, fitness and lifestyle. We’ll monitor your program and progress the intensity over time.
We’ll also look at any pelvic health symptoms such as bladder leakage or prolapse that could affect your ability to exercise for bone health, or that might appear as you begin to increase your exercise intensity. You’ll also receive excellent tools to help you with your progress.
ABOUT YOUR APPOINTMENTS: Together, we’ll work out how often we should see each other. We’ll agree on what works best for you, your commitments and your finances.
Enjoy what matters
You’ll be living your best life.
Step 3 is about ensuring you achieve all the important goals you set at the beginning of your journey. At this stage, you might also find you can take on new possibilities that you hadn’t considered, such as returning to high-impact exercise – or winning a bench-press challenge. You’ll be equipped with the skills to exercise safely in all situations – without always returning for regular appointments.
Of course, life isn’t always predictable, so sometimes, you may need to return for a reset. Perhaps you may notice vaginal heaviness or bulging, or your bladder control isn’t quite what it used to be. Whatever the reason, we’ll always be here to help you.
Read about Gwen 68 yrs
More info on menopause
Other Related Conditions
Pelvic Health Matters
New name.
Same exceptional care.
Formerly known as Women’s & Men’s Health Physiotherapy, our new name reflects both what we believe in and what we do. We have an unwavering belief that pelvic health matters for everyone, at every stage of life.
Same phone number: 03 8823 8300
New email: physio@pelvichealth.com.au